1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor (SIS) structure diode and, more particularly, to novel quantum well optoelectronic switching devices with stimulated emission capabilities.
2. Discussion
Microwave semiconductor devices are generally used for generation, amplification, detection and control of high frequency electromagnetic energy. However, the usefulness of conventional semiconductor devices at relatively high frequencies is severely limited by high frequency effects. The use of III-V compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium phosphate (InP) rather than silicon has provided a tremendous improvement because the mobilities of electrons of these materials are several times as high- as silicon which leads to lower series resistance.
Various optoelectronic switching devices exhibiting stimulated emission have been developed. Such devices have become attractive due to their potential applications in microwave generation, high speed logic switches, optical interconnects for integrated circuits, optical computing systems and optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs). Double barrier resonant tunneling diodes have been integrated monolithically with a quantum well (QW) laser to form an optical bistable device. Double heterostructure optoelectronic switching (DOES) devices incorporated with a single quantum well laser and vertical-to-surface transmission electrophotonic (VSTEP) devices have also been demonstrated as lasers to achieve stimulated emissions. However, due to the presence of the pn junction, the efficiency and the power of these devices have been found to be limited. In addition, most of the optoelectronic switching device structures are not compatible with OEICs, and thus cannot be easily integrated into OEICs.
Thus, it would be desirable to have an optoelectronic switching device which has a potential for faster optoelectronic switching. In addition, it is desirable to have such a device which exhibits a good lasing performance, significant negative differential resistance and a strong light sensitivity. Furthermore, it is desirable to have such a device which is compatible with state-of-the-art OEICs.